Daily Archives: 2021-02-14

2021-02-14: News Headlines

Ralph Nader, Bruce Fein (2021-02-14). Democrats' Shameful Cave. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-12923215461.jpg

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-14). Systematic human rights violations ongoing in Bahrain. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 14 (MNA) — Today the continuous violation of human rights, suppression of people seeking their own minimalist demands along with al-Khalifa alliance with Zionism can be witnessed in Bahrain, a senior Iranian Parliamentary advisor said.

news.un (2021-02-14). Living and loving with HIV: a UN Resident Coordinator blog. news.un.org To mark Valentine's Day, the annual 14 February celebration of love and affection, Gita Sabharwal, UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand, and Patchara Benjarattanaporn, Thailand Country Director for UNAIDS, call for an end to discrimination against people living with HIV, and recognition of the contribution they make to Thai society.

Dee Knight (2021-02-14). NYC cops Keep Rioting; Protesters Resist. zcomm.org In contrast to January 6 in Washington, DC, police in New York on Martin Luther King Jr. Day reverted to type. At least 29 people were arrested and multiple protesters were hospitalized when NYPD broke up a Black Lives Matter march held in honor of MLK Day…

Online News Editor (2021-02-14). Russian women hold human chain protests in support of Yulia Navalnaya. laprensalatina.com Moscow, Feb 14 (efe-epa).- Some 300 women formed a human chain in Moscow on Sunday in solidarity with Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of leading Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny. The protest, which was unauthorized, doubled up as a call to release all political prisoners and came after several large protests were met by a police …

_____ (2021-02-14). For Biden Administration, Black Lives Don't Matter In Haiti! popularresistance.org The people of Haiti have been demanding freedom from the succession of U.S.-imposed dictators for decades. One such dictator, Jovenel MoàØse, refused to leave office February 7, which marked the end of his term five years after an illegal election. This move catapulted yet another intense episode in the historic struggle of the Haitian masses against colonial intervention. Tens of thousands of Haitians went to the streets demanding democracy and an end to dictatorship. And what was the response from the U.S. puppet regime? Bullets, paramilitary terror, curfews, house raids, beatings and the imprisonment of…

_____ (2021-02-14). Forced Labor In The United States. popularresistance.org By any measure, the United States has the worst human rights record among the nations called democratic or developed or advanced or "free world" or any of the other labels that rich capitalist countries use to describe themselves. The U.S. has the worst health care system in that group, the worst benefits for workers, and the worst income inequality. It also has the dubious distinction of being the world's biggest jailer, with some 2.3 million people behind bars. This country which treats its people so terribly is also the one most likely to project its evil doing on to others. | There is a method to the madness.

National WWII Museum (2021-02-14). Friday 2/19: Setsuko's Secret: Heart Mountain and the Legacy of the Japanese American Incarceration. indybay.org Online event…

WSWS (2021-02-13). Amid deadly pandemic, Canada deported record number of refugees in 2020. wsws.org The working class must reject the nationalist poison of the ruling elite and defend the right of workers of all origins to work and live in the country of their choice, without fear of discrimination or deportation.

Hi'Keem Mobley (2021-02-13). $3 billion to spare? Alabama's governor spends on prisons. liberationnews.org Alabama is making one of the largest public expenditures in the state's history—on building new prisons. Governor Ivey should put $3 billion dollars towards making Alabamians' lives better, and not towards justifying mass incarceration.

Gabriela Silva (2021-02-13). Wrongly jailed Queens youth organized own defense from prison: Free Prakash Churaman! liberationnews.org The Free Prakash Alliance continues to demand that the Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz drop all charges against Prakash Churaman.

Ryan Hamby (2021-02-13). Interview: Formerly incarcerated organizer on Feb. 6 St. Louis jail protest. liberationnews.org On February 10, Liberation News interviewed Ronnie Amiyn, an organizer with EXPO (Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing) St. Louis about the organization, the conditions in St. Louis jails, the protests and organizing of incarcerated people and the responses of jail officials and the media.

The Lancet (2021-02-13). [Editorial] Improving prisoner health for stronger public health. thelancet.com COVID-19 vaccine policy for prisoners has been in the headlines across the USA and the UK. Discordant strategies exist, ranging from no vaccination, to vaccination equivalent to people in the community, to higher prioritisation for people in prison. Prisons are dangerous hotspots for acquiring SARS-CoV-2, and individuals who return to the community could unwittingly transmit the virus. In the USA alone, 372‚Äà583 prisoners have had COVID-19, with 2359 deaths, according to the Marshall Project. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to address racial and social inequalities globally, but…

RT (2021-02-13). UK's 'The Independent' apologizes to Roman Abramovich, pays Chelsea owner's legal fees after parroting 'Putin's bag carrier' claim. rt.com Britain's The Independent has been forced to make an apology to Russian tycoon and Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, after publishing a story accusing the billionaire of holding illicit cash for Russian President Vladimir Putin. | Amid the uproar surrounding the jailing of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, the Independent, like many Western media outlets, has sided with Navalny's associates in demanding punitive sanctions on Moscow. Yet in its fervor to boost the protest leader, the liberal journal has fallen foul of the law. | In an article published last week, the Independent quoted an associate of…

RT (2021-02-13). The Independent apologizes to Roman Abramovich, pays Chelsea owner's legal fees after parroting claim of 'Putin's bag carrier'. rt.com The Independent has been forced to eat crow and apologize to the Russian tycoon and Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, after publishing a story accusing the billionaire of holding illicit cash for Russian President Vladimir Putin. | Amid the uproar surrounding the jailing of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, the Independent, like many Western media outlets, has sided with Navalny's associates in demanding punitive sanctions on Moscow. Yet in its fervor to boost the protest leader, the liberal newspaper has fallen foul of the law. | In an article published last week, the Independent quoted an associate…

RT (2021-02-13). UK's 'The Independent' apologizes to Roman Abramovich, pays Chelsea owner's legal fees after parroting 'Putin's bag carrier' claim. rt.com Britain's The Independent has been forced to make an apology to Russian tycoon and Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, after publishing a story accusing the billionaire of holding illicit cash for Russian President Vladimir Putin. | Amid the uproar surrounding the jailing of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, the Independent, like many Western media outlets, has sided with Navalny's associates in demanding punitive sanctions on Moscow. Yet in its fervor to boost the protest leader, the liberal journal has fallen foul of the law. | In an article published last week, the Independent quoted an associate of…

yenisafak (2021-02-13). ANALYSIS – Palestinian elections to test Fatah's cohesion. yenisafak.com Abbas is facing stiff competition from two candidates — Marwan Barghouti, a member of the central committee currently serving a life sentence in an Israeli jail, and Muhammad Dahlan, a controversial figure who was dismissed and is currently harbored by the United Arab Emirates as he faces legal cases from Palestine and Turkey on several charges, including murder, corruption, and involvement in a 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.Palestinian factions agreed Tuesday in Cairo to establish an elections court based on a national consensus among judges from Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.- Barred from runningAbdullah K…

RT (2021-02-13). Biden to 'review' Guantanamo prison with 'intention' to close facility by end of term — 12 years after Obama made same promise. rt.com The Joe Biden administration will carry out a "robust review" of the Guantanamo Bay prison, aiming to shutter the detention center before his term is up, the White House said, some 12 years after Barack Obama vowed to do the same.

Ruth E Langley, Duncan C Gilbert, Trinh Duong, Noel W Clarke, Matthew Nankivell, Stuart D Rosen, Stephen Mangar, Archie Macnair, Subramanian Kanaga Sundaram, Marc E Laniado, Sanjay Dixit, Sanjeev Madaan, Caroline Manetta, Alvan Pope, Christopher D Scrase, Stephen Mckay, Iqtedar A Muazzam, Gerald N Collins, Jane Worlding, Simon T Williams, Edgar Paez, Angus Robinson, Jonathan McFarlane, John V Deighan, John Marshall, Silvia Forcat, Melanie Weiss, Roger Kockelbergh, Abdulla Alhasso, Howard Kynaston, Mahesh Parmar (2021-02-13). [Articles] Transdermal oestradiol for androgen suppression in prostate cancer: long-term cardiovascular outcomes from the randomised Prostate Adenocarcinoma Transcutaneous Hormone (PATCH) trial programme. thelancet.com Long-term data comparing tE2 patches with LHRHa show no evidence of a difference between treatments in cardiovascular mortality or morbidity. Oestrogens administered transdermally should be reconsidered for androgen suppression in the management of prostate cancer.

_____ (2021-02-13). Wrongly Jailed Queens Youth Organized Own Defense From Prison. popularresistance.org On Feb. 10, now 21-year-old Prakash Churaman of Queens, New York, stood on the steps of Queens Criminal Court addressing a crowd of supporters just before his latest trial. He spoke confidently into the mic: "I'm ready to fight. This is round two. And I just want to say…free them all!" | At age 15, Churaman was held and aggressively interrogated by the New York Police Department for the fatal shooting of his best friend Taquane Clark. After he and his mother were subjected to hours of intimidation tactics by Detectives Barry Brown and Daniel Gallagher, Churaman agreed to say whatever they wanted to hear: in thi…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-13). UN and others urge Egyptian government to stop persecution of activists in the country. peoplesdispatch.org Thousands of activists, journalists, lawyers and opposition figures have been thrown in prison in the country as part of a massive, ongoing crackdown on human rights and dissent since the regime of president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power in 2014…

Andrew Emett (2021-02-13). Former California Assemblyman sentenced to federal prison for money laundering. nationofchange.org U.S. District Judge James Donato sentenced the former State Assemblyman to one year and one day in prison and ordered him to pay $685,000 in restitution.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-12). Hearings continue against anti-terror law in the Philippines. peoplesdispatch.org On Tuesday, February 9, the second day of the hearings on Philippines' controversial Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), the Supreme Court continued to receive oral arguments from the petitioners. Lawyers representing 37 petitioners against the law focused their attack on the new law's potential to do away with protections that were earlier afforded to prisoners and the accused. | According to

Ted Kelly (2021-02-12). 'Progressive' prosecutors put thousands of lives at risk. workers.org Philadelphia The novel coronavirus has claimed an unlikely victim in the United States: the Sixth Amendment. The right to a "speedy trial" is in critical condition. Philadelphia's county jail population has risen to 4,500 and is growing steadily. Half of those behind bars have "detainers," meaning they aren't eligible for . . . |

Rosa Astra (2021-02-12). Make Our Schools and Communities Safe caravan takes to streets of San Francisco. liberationnews.org More than 100 cars bearing signs saying "More resources, less lawsuits"; "Fund our schools"; and "Fund our communities" traveled through San Francisco Feb. 10. The Make Our Schools and Communities Safe caravan was called in response to City Attorney Dennis Herrera's announcement that the City would sue the school district to reopen schools. Over 100 …

Rayhan Uddin (2021-02-12). Detained Saudi aid worker spoke to family for one minute in three years. middleeasteye.net Detained Saudi aid worker spoke to family for one minute in three years | Sister of Abdulrahman al-Sadhan tells MEE his family is desperate to see him released after years in prison without charges | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 19: 00 | Detained aid worker Abdulrahman al-Sadhan graduating from Notre Dame de Namur University in California in 2013 (Courtesy Areej al-Sadhan) | One year ago, detained Saudi aid work…

MEE staff (2021-02-12). 'We want real justice': Loujain al-Hathloul's family slams conditions of release. middleeasteye.net 'We want real justice': Loujain al-Hathloul's family slams conditions of release | Since Loujain's sentence was only suspended, not pardoned, Saudi Arabia retains right to return her to prison for any perceived criminal activity | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 16: 27 | A woman viewing a tweet posted by sister of Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, Lina, in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on 10 February (AFP/File photo) | Af…

MEE staff (2021-02-12). Biden administration says it aims to close Guantanamo Bay by end of term. middleeasteye.net Biden administration says it aims to close Guantanamo Bay by end of term | White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says closing prison camp before Biden leaves office 'certainly is our goal and our intention' | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 21: 31 | Demonstrators dressed in Guantanamo Bay prisoner uniforms march past Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on 9 January 2020 | The Biden administration has launched a formal review of…

Judy Greenspan (2021-02-12). Biden and Harris won't help prisoners. workers.org The following are lightly edited remarks from a Workers World Party webinar on January 21. It's actually been a very painful time for those of us who are involved in supporting incarcerated workers. And people behind the walls are incarcerated workers, and they're part of our working class. They're part . . . |

RT (2021-02-12). NY AG brands Amazon 'corporate bully' after tech giant sues to block lawsuit on alleged Covid worker negligence. rt.com New York state's attorney general has dismissed Amazon's move to preemptively sue the office over its inquiries into the e-commerce retailer's alleged neglect of employee safety amid the pandemic as a "sad attempt" at distraction. | On Friday, Amazon sued NY Attorney General Letitia James, accusing her of legally threatening the company and overstepping her remit. The suit also said that an unannounced city inspection of Amazon's Staten Island facility on March 30 — the first day of worker protests over conditions at the site — found that complaints about safety were "completely baseless". | Respondi…

Staff (2021-02-12). Ralph Nader on Corporate Crime, Holding Boeing Accountable for 737 MAX Deaths & Biden's First Weeks. democracynow.org Legendary consumer advocate Ralph Nader says the U.S. is experiencing a "corporate crime wave," and that the Trump administration's $2.5 billion settlement with Boeing over the manufacturer's faulty 737 MAX jets amounts to a "slap on the wrist." Boeing's faulty planes were involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, including Nader's 24-year-old grandniece Samya Stumo. Nader says the Biden Justice Department should reopen the previous administration's settlement and hold Boeing fully accountable. "This is just another example of giant companies getting away with their corporate criminal…

Staff (2021-02-12). Where Are the Witnesses? Ralph Nader Says Democrats' Impeachment Case Is "Prescription for Defeat" democracynow.org As the historic Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump continues, we speak with longtime consumer advocate, corporate critic and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who says Democrats have set themselves up for defeat by rushing proceedings and failing to call witnesses — including Trump himself. "The narrow approach of the articles of impeachment keep the Democrats from having a full hand," says Nader. "They have like 10 arrows in their quiver and they're using one or two."

Staff (2021-02-12). Ralph Nader: Biden Must Hold Boeing Accountable for Deaths Due to Faulty Planes. truthout.org Legendary consumer advocate Ralph Nader says the U.S. is experiencing a "corporate crime wave," and that the Trump administration's $2.5 billion settlement with Boeing over the manufacturer's faulty 737 MAX jets amounts to a "slap on the wrist." Boeing's faulty planes were involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, including Nader's 24-year-old grandniece Samya Stumo. Nader says the Biden Justice Department should reopen the previous administration's settlement and…

_____ (2021-02-12). Jettison the Johnson: Transwomen Athletes Crashing Female Sports Will Only Hurt the Game. strategic-culture.org As the Biden administration moves to make it illegal to deny the participation of birth males in female sport, a number of courageous athletes and academics are beginning to speak out on the issue, warning that the presidential orders will have disastrous consequences on their profession, and possibly their lives. | On the very same day of his locked-down inauguration, Joe Biden signed off on dozens of executive orders, including one gem entitled, 'Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation'. The controversial legislation, which has never been the subject of seri…

Areeb Ullah (2021-02-12). Syrian militants urged to release US journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem. middleeasteye.net Syrian militants urged to release US journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem | Idlib-based reporter was arrested six months ago after raising concerns about alleged torture of prisoners by HTS | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 15: 55 | Bilal Abdul Kareem has reported from opposition-held Syria since 2014 (Screengrab) | A leading media freedom monitor has called for the release of US journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem, six months aft…

RT (2021-02-12). 'Those protests were dreadful': UK Home Secretary says she 'wouldn't kneel' for BLM, kicking off online slugfest. rt.com Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel is no fan of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, and her latest anti-BLM declaration, in which she called the demonstrations "dreadful," has ignited a storm of controversy online. | Speaking to London-based radio station LBC on Friday, Patel told host Nick Ferrari that she wouldn't "take the knee" for the Black Lives Matter movement, as so many professional athletes, entertainers, and even "No I would not, I would not have at the time either. Th…

Philip Weiss (2021-02-12). If Navalny deserves support, why not Issa Amro? zcomm.org Where is the U.S. government on a Palestinian activist at a time when it has highlighted the freedom of other groups to protest (notably the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Russia)…

commondreams (2021-02-12). President Biden Must Close Guant√°namo Bay Detention Center, End Twenty Years of Human Rights Abuses. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-02-12). 'End… This Human Rights Atrocity,' Says Amnesty After Biden Admin Signals Goal to Close Gitmo. commondreams.org Asked whether the president will shutter the prison, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, "That certainly is our goal and our intention." | www.flickr.com/photos/shriekingtree/6688582501

commondreams (2021-02-12). Muslim Advocates Files Brief on Trump's Anti-Muslim Motives in Detaining Guantanamo Prisoner. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Human Rights Watch (2021-02-12). Saudi Arabia releases Women's Rights Activist Loujain al-Hathloul but Bans her Travel. juancole.com (Beirut) — Saudi authorities released from prison the prominent women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul on February 10, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. However, she is banned from travel and has a suspended sentence, which allows the authorities to return her to prison at any time for any perceived criminal activity. In late December 2020, …

Esther Schrader (2021-02-12). Remembering Johnnie Mae Chappell: A Jim Crow-era injustice resonates in period of Black Lives Matter. splcenter.org &nbsp…

ACLU NorCal SCU Law Club (2021-02-12). The Racial Justice Act & Addressing Bias in our Criminal Justice System. indybay.org Join the ACLU NorCal Club and BLSA on Feb. 23rd from 12-1pm PST (Zoom) to learn from experts about racial bias in our criminal justice system and the recently enacted California Racial Justice Act. | The CA RJA prohibits the state from seeking or obtaining a conviction or imposing a sentence "on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin." How successful should we expect the Act to be in its mission to address racial bias? Where does it fall short? What more can we do to work toward a truly equitable criminal justice system devoid of racial bias? | Register here to be entered in a raffle where you can win o…

Matt Sedlar (2021-02-12). Resignation of Trump-Appointed US Attorneys Is Just The Start Of DOJ's De-Trumpification. cepr.net Talking Points Memo See article on original site In the Reconstruction era following the Civil War, the Department of Justice was created in part to deliver and oversee equal rights to formerly enslaved Black men and women. This corrective institution was a major step toward building a federal government that protects the civil rights of all …

Anonymous via EXPO (2021-02-11). Letter from an inmate: St Louis prisoners protest COVID violations, inhumane conditions. liberationnews.org Early in the morning of February 6, inmates at the St. Louis City Justice Center protested for seven hours over the complete lack of response by jail officials to complaints from inmates about conditions in the CJC.

Staff (2021-02-11). Headlines for February 11, 2021. democracynow.org "The Inciter-in-Chief": Democrats Accuse Trump of Being "Singularly Responsible" for Insurrection, Trump Attacked Pence on Twitter Minutes After Learning VP Was Evacuated from Capitol, Georgia Prosecutor Opens Criminal Probe of Trump over Election Interference, U.S. COVID Death Toll Tops 471,000; Half of All Deaths Occurred Since Nov. 1, WHO Backs Use of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine, Saudi Women's Rights Activist Loujain al-Hathloul Released After 1,001 Days in Prison, Biden & Xi Jinping Speak on Phone as U.S. Forms Military Task Force on China, U.S. Sanctions Military Junta as Anti-Coup Protests Continue in Burma,…

RT (2021-02-11). US cancels $42 million in Myanmar aid over military coup… then redirects it to nation's 'civil society'. rt.com The US has slapped a raft of sanctions on Myanmar's top military to block their access to more than a billion dollars in government funds being held in America, and will redirect millions in US aid to "strengthen civil society." | The Biden administration has designated six members of Myanmar's National Defense and Security Council, including General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the ruling military junta that seized power last week after ousting Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government. Hlaing led the military detention of Suu Kyi and Myanmar's other political leaders, who are currently under house arrest, and…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-11). UN human rights expert demands release of rights activists imprisoned in the UAE. peoplesdispatch.org United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, asked the UAE government on Wednesday, February 10, to release three human rights defenders serving 10 year jail terms. She claimed that their mistreatment and harassment in prison amounts to torture. | In a press release, Lawlor claimed that, "not only have Mohamed Al-Roken, Ahmed Mansoor and Nasser Bin Ghaith been criminalized and imprisoned for their non-violent and legitimate calls for respect for human rights in the UAE, they have been subjected to ill-treatment in prison." | #AhmedMansoor Ragip Soylu (2021-02-11). Turkey quickly gets into fight with Biden over Osman Kavala. middleeasteye.net Turkey quickly gets into fight with Biden over Osman Kavala | US State Department criticises Ankara over its human rights record while top officials avoid calling Turkish counterparts | Thu, 02/11/2021 – 12: 04 | A journalist stands in front of a poster featuring jailed businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala during a press conference of his lawyers on 31 October 2018 (AFP) | Tensions rose between Tu…

Umar A Farooq (2021-02-11). Saudi dissident files lawsuit against McKinsey for outing him as MBS opponent. middleeasteye.net Saudi dissident files lawsuit against McKinsey for outing him as MBS opponent | Omar Abdulaziz claims consultancy firm McKinsey outed him as a critic to the Saudi government and MBS in 2016 | Thu, 02/11/2021 – 16: 36 | Omar Abdulaziz has told MEE that Saudi agents had attempted to lure him to the kingdom's consulate in Canada months before the killing of Jamal Khashoggi (MEE/Jillian Kestler-D'Amour…